HOLY WH*RE Film to Star Nava Mau Alongside Mariel Hemingway
Filming for the Deborah Kampmeier-directed feature will take place in Mexico with Full Moon Films producing.
Nava Mau, an Independent Spirit Award winner with Emmy and BAFTA nominations, will join the cast of Deborah Kampmeier's upcoming film HOLY WH*RE, adding to previously announced stars Mariel Hemingway and Sophia Adler. Written and directed by Kampmeier, the film tells the story of Carmine, a modern-day courtesan whose path moves through addiction and prostitution toward work as a sex therapist. Mau will play Alex, a dominatrix and world traveler who becomes a close friend to young Carmine, played by Adler, with the two characters getting clean together in rehab.
Award-winning filmmaker Kampmeier is returning to her indie roots with this provocative story. Her production company, Full Moon Films, was founded to create films by and about women. Through Full Moon Films, Kampmeier has written, directed and produced four features. Kampmeier is also an acclaimed television director whose credits include the recent Emmy-nominated 'The Gilded Age.'
'I am incredibly moved by Deborah Kampmeier's delicate exploration of sexuality, violence, and healing without judgment,' shares Mau. 'This film speaks to our society's deep need for reconnection, and is a reclamation of power for the divine feminine. It's an honor to join Deborah in telling this story, in all its complexity and transformative potential.'
Kampmeier adds, 'I'm honored and inspired to have Nava join our cast to play the role of Alex. Not only am I deeply moved by her fearless, self-possessed and vulnerable performances as an actress, but she brings with her a history of work and activism with survivors of violence that adds a layer of nuance and depth of understanding to being a woman in this world and the world of our film.'
Mau won the Independent Spirit Award and received Emmy & BAFTA nominations for her breakthrough role in 'Baby Reindeer.' Her other credits include HBO Max's 'Generation' and Netflix's 'You.' As a filmmaker, she wrote, directed, produced and starred in the award-winning short films 'Waking Hour' and 'All the Words But the One.' Mau has also spent years working in the fields of healing justice and culture change with community-based service providers, student organizations, and survivors of violence.
Mau is repped by Innovative Artists and IKIGAI Management & Media; Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman and Shafran PR.
Kampmeier will produce the film alongside Iris Torres and Raye Dowell for Full Moon Films and Vicky Mara Story for Sunshine in South Central. Production is scheduled to begin in Mexico for a nine-week shoot, with production services provided in association with 1230 Media.
